[Zsd-news] Light at the end of the tunnel

[Ian Forbes]

Hi All

The winter solstice has reached us. While the days are starting to get
longer again, I suspect the worst of the winter weather is still to come.


ESKOM UPDATE - LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL:

By this time we know that Eskom has managed to get their act together
somewhat. The massive rolling blackouts that we feared have not yet
materialized, although there has been some localized "load shedding"
black outs which were not fun for those effected.

However we cannot afford to become complacent. The Western Cape is still
running on the absolute limits of the available supply capacity. There
is no reserve to cover any kind of equipment failure or a sudden spate
of bad weather. After the refuelling of the 2nd unit at Koeberg is
completed, hopefully at the end of July, we will be in a better position.

The long term situation is still not certain. It will take a few years
before the power grid in catches up with the rapid development that we
have experienced in the Western Cape.


GENERATOR SAFETY:

So it looks like those of you who purchased generators will have cause
to hang onto them for a while, even if they are not being used very
often. If you are in this situation, there are a few points to consider:

- Check your generator regularly. Start it at least once every two weeks
if you expect it to work on the day the lights go out.

- Be vary careful with ventilation. Exhaust gases are an obvious threat
but also remember that the generator needs a supply of cooling air while
hot air must be allowed to escape. Ideally a generator should be located
in a secure, covered, well ventilated outside area.

- Be careful with fuel storage and re-fuelling. Always store and
transport fuel in containers designed for the purpose. Keep funnels and
hoses clean and in a safe place for when you need them. Remember that if
your generator goes unused for many months the fuel in its tank may go
"stale" or get contaminated with moisture from condensation. It may
become necessary to drain the tank and refill it. NEVER refuel a
generator while it is running!

- Electrical wiring from the generator needs to be treated with the same
respect as any other mains voltage wiring. Only authorised electricians
should make alterations or connections to your building's wiring.

- Finally do you have a fire extinguisher near your generator?


SPAM - THE WAR GOES ON

Two steps forward, one step back! Just when we think it is under control
we get another barrage of spam addressed to our users. Now it seems
"investment advice" is the hot topic. These are proving to be
particularly troublesome to filter out - fortunately they are not as
offensive as spam advertising pornography and sex enhancing drugs.

We do however have a new weapon that we are putting to good use. We have
an "automatic learning and reporting system". Samples of spam are fed
into this program which uses it teach our spam filters about new spam
and also to report it to sites that administer spam databases. ZSD users
can assist with this effort. If you receive spam, you are welcome to
send it to a special e-mail address and it will get processed by the new
system. We need the complete message with all of its "headers". The
procedure submitting spam from "Microsoft Outlook" is as follows:

- Right click on the offending message in your Inbox
- Select "send as attachment", Outlook will start a new e-mail message.
- Enter the address "spam at zsd.co.za" in the "To:" header.
- Enter a comment in the subject "eg spam addressed to ..." and send it.

Please note that if just "forward" the spam, your mail client will strip
off vital information from the headers, making it virtually useless for
our application. Please send the spam only to the above address it - not
my address, or our support address otherwise it may get blocked or deleted.

Please be sure to only submit messages that would be considered spam by
all of our users. If you receive unsolicited advertising material from
local companies that includes a valid reply address and contact details,
rather take it up with them directly.


BUSINESS AND OTHER HEAVY USERS OF ADSL ACCOUNTS

If you are in this category and you cannot afford the disruption of
having you account "capped" when you inadvertently exceed your quota,
you may be interested in our new ADSL accounts with rebate option. These
accounts allow you to purchase a large ADSL cap so that you can avoid
the possibility of getting capped, then at the end of the month you get
a credit for a portion of your unused bandwidth, so you don't have to
worry about spending money unnecessarily. E-mail support at zsd.co.za if
you would like to find out more.



Regards


Ian Forbes